Peter Breen, Senior Counsel and Vice President of the Thomas More Society in Chicago, addressed an enthusiastic group of professionals, providing a view into his experiences integrating faith and work on the front lines as a public interest attorney. Without the help of written notes and pausing every now and again to take questions from an engaged audience, Mr. Breen spoke from the heart for almost an hour, delighting us with war stories and providing practical advice on how to spread the seeds of faith in a secularized society. Describing with both humor and humility his incredible journey of faith and trust, Mr. Breen explained how he became increasingly involved in, and devoted to, working for the public good. First, he shared his personal story of leaving a lucrative law practice in Chicago to work at the Thomas More Society, where he has aggressively fought to preserve the hard-won fundamental principles on which the United States was founded, particularly First Amendment rights. He also recounted the time when he was asked to start up a crisis pregnancy center, where he would have to, at the age of 28, oversee an experienced staff almost twice his age and advise and console individuals going through an almost unbearably stressful time. Nevertheless, having courageously said ‘yes” to the call, he went on to found numerous crisis pregnancy centers around Chicagoland, assisting women and their babies get off to a good start together. As an attorney in the thick of the fight for life, marriage, and religious freedom on a daily basis, Mr. Breen recalled a number of court cases involving issues related to same-sex unions and children. As he is up against people who have little, if any, concept of the role faith, religion and morals have in their lives, he sees each court battle as an opportunity to speak God’s truth to people, many of whom are hearing it for the first time. He emphasized, however, the importance of planting spiritual seeds for souls in a positive manner, even in the midst of litigation, in an effort to build bridges and provide a basis for further reflection on extremely complex and nuanced issues. Noting that he has made the most progress in opening people’s hearts to the truth by first showing them respect and understanding, he urged us to similarly step out into the world to serve and to engage directly in the spiritual warfare of our time, whether in a soup kitchen, as part of a pro-life group, or through some other public service. Quoting Matthew 10:16, Mr. Breen reminded us of Jesus’ admonition: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Continued on page 2 Continued from page 1 Mr. Breen concluded his talk by telling us that he has thrown his hat into the political ring as a candidate for Illinois State Representative of District 48. For more information on his candidacy, please see votebreen.com. For information about the Thomas More Society, please go to thomasmore.org